thomas



(No Model.)

121111. THOMAS.

' -$0DA WATER APPARATUS.

No. 312,588. Patented Feb. 17, 1885.

UNITED STATES FBEDERIG R. H. THOMAS,

PATENT OFFICE.

or HUDSON, NEW YORK.

SODA-WATER APPARATUS.

EEPECIFICATION forming part of Letters-Patent No. 312,588, datedFebruary 17, 1885.

Application filed May 12, i884.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern: l

Beit known that LEREDERIC R. H. THOMAS, acitizen of the United States,and a resident of Hudson, in the county of Columbia and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mineral-WaterAparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus in which mineral waters and likebeverages are mixed and impregnated with carbonic-acid gas, and while soimpregnated are bottled. For this purpose the gas under pressure from agasometer and the water from a separate reservoir are admittedsimultaneously by separate pipes into a pump, by which they are fed intoa fountain, where they are kept in commotion by a revolving dasher oragitator, and are thence drawn off into bottles; but in similarapparatus as heretofore constructed the agitator, acting in onedirection only, moves the liquid with it like a revolving cylinder ofwater, thereby causing the .gas to impinge upon and be carried roundwith the surface of such revolving water-cylinder without permeating theentire mass, and to be concentrated or collected mainly above the liquidin the fountain, thence to return to the gasometer, while theliquidbecomes comparatively fiat. Another objection is that the pump duringthe downward or feeding stroke of its piston receives air,which leaks inthrough the stuffingbox and gradually works its way into the liquid andgas, thereby also rendering the beverage what is termed fiat.

My invention has for its object to obviate the said defects, and itcomprises the construction and combination, with a gas andliquid mixingfountain, of an agitator of two or more parts revolving separately inopposite or contrary directions, thereby producing a thorough mixture ofthe gas and liquid; also, the combination,with the pump-cylinderspacebetween the stuffingbox and piston, of a dis placeable column ofwater forming a water-seal to prevent the entrance of air, as will behereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure -1 represents an end elevation of amineral-water apparatus forfl bottlers use, improved 'according to mypresent invention. Fig. 2 is a,

(No model.)

side elevation of the same. or as seen in the direction of arrow 1 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 1s a longitudinal vertical section of one of thefountains, showing the construction of the agitator.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line w x of Fig. 3, seen in thedirection of arrow 2.

A is the frame of the machine, in whichare located at opposite sides ofand parallel witha centrally-working shaft, B, two fountains, a. Theshaft B is provided with a pulley, 0, through which and a belt motion istransmitted to it from an engine or other motor. It also has a flywheel,D, and at opposite ends pulleys E E and F F, from which motion istransmitted to the agitators of the two fountains, the said belt G andthe crossed belt G transmitting motion to the agitator of the fountainatthe left side, (looking at Fig. 1 at the left side,) and the crossedbelt H and the straight belt H transmitting motion to the agitator ofthe fountain at the right side. The belts G H" are dotted in Fig. l, inorder to better distinguish them from the other belts.

The fountains being alike, a description of the one on the right willapply to the one on the left side.

I are the ordinary glass gages, and t the pressure-gages. The liquid tobe charged with carbonic-acid gas is drawn from its proper tank orreservoir by means of the pump 79 through the pipe 0, and gas from thegasometerthrough the pipe (1. The gas and liquid through the pipes d care discharged from the pump into the fountian by means of apipe, e. Thepumppiston receives its motion from the shaft B by an eccentric, L, inthe usual manner.

In pumps as heretofore constructed for this purpose air gradually leaksin through the stuffing-box of the piston on the downward or feed strokeof the piston,and gradually works its way into the mixed liquid and gasdischarging into the fountain, thereby causing the beverage to becomemore or less flat. To remove this objection I provide a pipe, f, leadingfrom some sufficiently-elevated reservoir, or otherwise arranged, so asto keep a moderate degree of pressure at the lowerend of the pipe, whichis inserted below the stuffing-box of the pump, and above the piston, orabout where shown in Fig. 2, in such a manner that water in the saidpipe f will always stand above the piston,thereby making a water-sealbetween I revolve in opposite directions, thus causing a the same andthe stuffing-box, which effectually prevents the aforesaid leakage ofair.

The ordinary four-way discharge to fillers 5 for filling bottles isdesignated by the letter 9, and the discharge-pipe from the top of thefountain for conveying back to the gasometer the surplus gas, so astouse it over again when needed, is designated by the letter h. Thefountain a is madein two partshaving flanges, as usual, by which theyare bolted togetl'ier at the middle or end, as shown in the drawings;but in filling fountains as heretofore used the agitator is movingin onedirection only, there by acting defectively and mixing imperfectly, forthe reason stated in the preamble of this specification. In ordertoremedy this, I provide an agitatorof two parts or frames, jlc, onearranged inside of the other, the outer frame. j, havingcentrally-projecting fingers, m, and the inner part of the frame ithaving radially projecting fingers n placed alternately at rightanglesor at an angle to each other interme diate to the said fingers m, sothat when the frames are revolved in opposite directions the fingersawill-revolvein thespaees between the fingers m. The shafts or journalsK J of the frames 7c 7' have their bearings and stuffingboxes throughthe opposite ends of the fount ains, and are provided with pulleys M Nto receive the aforesaid belt-s H and H, respect ively, the inner end ofthe shaft K having its bearing in an end hub, O, in the framej, and theframej having the bearing of its opposite end upon the shaft of theframe 70, the hearing being formed by brasses and caps P, as s own inFigs. 3 and 4. Since the belt H,which coaununicatesits motion from theshaft B to the pulley N, is crossed, andthe belt H,which communicatesmotion from the same shaft to the pulley M, is straightthat is, notcrossed it is evident that the said pulleys M N, and t-herebythe shaftsKJ and the frames It must thorough commotion of the liquid and.athorough intermixture of the same with the gas, thereby producing asuperiorly-charged beverage, which is drawn out into bottles during theoperation of the apparatus in the usual manner.

I do not claim, broadly, adasher of two parts moving in oppositedirections, for such, I am aware, has been used in churns, an instanceof which may be found in United States Patent No. 150,734.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a fountain for mixingtogether compressed gasand'liquid, the combination of the agitator-frames j k, provided withalternatelyarranged fingers m msubstantiallyas described, the saidframej being journaled with its outer end through one end of thefountain, and with its inner end upon the shaft K of'the frame It, andthesaid frame 7c beingjournaled with its outer end th rough the oppositeend ofthe fountain, and with its inner end in an axial socket of theframe j, and the oppositely-projecting journals being provided outsideof the fountain with end pulleys, NM, or their equivalents, forcommunicating opposite rotary motion to the said frame, as hereinheforeset forth.

2. The combination, with a feed-pump to a gas and liquid mixingfountain, of a pipe, f, entering the pump-cylinder between the stuffingboX and piston for maintaining a column of liquid above the piston,for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in pres ence of two witnesses, this 28th day of April,

FREDERlO R. H. THOMAS. -W itnesses:

CHAS. F. LEwIs,

PETER SMITH.

